The testing of biological samples requires collection of the biological sample, some storage, and frequently shipment of the biological sample to a medical laboratory.
Accordingly, it is necessary to provide a collection and shipping container which facilitates collection of the biological sample, along with maintaining it in a sealed container where leakage is absolutely prevented.
There are a number of devices designed to collect fecal samples which incorporate a vial and a collecting scoop. Some of these are disclosed, for example, in Boettger U.S. Pat. No. 2,835,246, Grow et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,198,365, and Skiba et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,506. Particularly with fecal samples, it is frequently necessary to filter or screen the sample after it has been dispersed in a liquid medium. Various devices designed for this are disclosed, for example, in Mehra et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,357,240, Studer U.S. Pat. No. 3,936,373, Greenwald U.S. Pat. No. 4,067,443, Hennessey U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,316, Cerqueira U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,837, and Szabados U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,559. To facilitate the use of such collection and shipping vials, it is desirable to incorporate a screen and a collection device such as a scoop with the collection vial. However, it is critical to, at the same time, maintain a tight seal between any cap and the vial. Again, leakage during shipping is totally unacceptable.
One device that is particularly suitable to prevent leakage in storage is a device manufactured by Evergreen Scientific which incorporates a cap having a central collecting device or scoop. The cap has an outer wall and an inner wall, both of which engage the side wall of the collecting vial. However, this device provided for absolutely no filtration and basically incorporated a sampling device similar to that disclosed in the Grow patent or the Boettger patent. Accordingly, using a device such as this for filtration was apparently impossible.
It is also desirable to permit the end user easy access to the biological solution without requiring the laboratory technician to contact any biological fluid. Accordingly, it is preferable to incorporate, in addition to the sealed cap, the filtration and sample collecting device, an easy-access closure which acts to, in turn, prevent the laboratory technician from contacting the biological fluid.